What I Read (3): Maria

What I Read is a semi-regular guest feature in One More Page allows them to talk about what the title says: what they read. I believe that every reader has a unique reading preference and no reader is exactly the same. What I Read explores that idea, where I let the guests talk about their favorite, genre preferences, pet peeves and everything else in between. :)

So…it’s been a while since my last What I Read post. Apologies — it’s been…well, slow, and busy and quite honestly, I forgot about this feature for a while. I meant to have one a month for this, but alas, I’ve missed two months. Oh well. I did say this is a semi-regular feature, right?

Now that the apology is out of the way, it’s time to catch up! For the third installment of the What I Read feature, I have one of my book club friends with me here once again. A year ago, she sent me an email for an interview in her blog during Armchair BEA week. I don’t think we’ve met in person back then — I just knew her from Goodreads and her blog. I got to know her better during one of our book club trips, and we have pretty similar tastes in genres (but not necessarily books). :D I thought of featuring her this month too because she’s the moderator for our Fellowship of the Ring face to face discussion next week.

In ten words or less, what kind of books do you usually read?

Books that are adventurous, mysterious, suspenseful, and yes, a little romantic. :D

In your most favorite genre, what are the things you like to read about? Any pet peeves?
YA is definitely my genre right now, dystopia and post-apocalyptic books to be exact. I like to read about a heroine (or hero) who manages to uplift her stature amidst the bleakness of her world by being a capable thinker (like Tris in Divergent), a formidable fighter (like Temple in The Reapers are the Angels), and a determined survivor (like Penryn in Angelfall). On the other hand, I hate books with a heroine that is so whiny, so “damsel in distress”, and so helpless that he/she doesn’t do a single thing to improve his/her condition. Oh, I don’t like crappy endings. An ending that doesn’t justify the sufferings and losses of the lead character (like Mary in The Forest of Hands and Teeth). I mean, c’mon! Give me even a morsel of happiness for crying out loud. Whoops, I forgot this is not a review. LOL.

List the shelves you look at when visiting a bookstore in chronological order.
(On Sale Shelf!), YA, Children’s, General Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Sci-fi, Romance

What’s one genre you’ve never really ventured into? Would you ever try reading it?
Um, is non-fiction? I’m not into that, and autobiographies. I just want fiction. reading is mostly escapism on my part, so I want to lose myself to the world that the author has built. But if there’s a book about Rafael Nadal, then I would defintely read that even if it’s not fiction!

Have you ever tried reading a book recommended to you that is outside of your comfort zone? Did you like it or not?
Okay, I’m not really a sci-fi gal but i’ve read a couple of sci-fi books. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card was highly recommended by my GR friends. After reading it, I was mad with happiness. I love it! 1984 by Geoge Orwell was the GR-TFG book for the month last January. It was a classic and I was allergic to classics! But I really liked that i read it. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is another gem. I craved the atmosphere of depression and despair! But the biggest surprise of all (to myself), is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I wouldn’t pick this up on my own, but when Angus wanted a buddy read, i joined him. and wow, what a revelation for a YA reader like me to actually love that book. :)

What’s your reading guilty pleasure? Come on, I know you have one. :P (I hope hubby never stumbles across this post :P) More often than not, time for reading is very hard to come by when you’re a working mom. You go to work, do your job, come home to your family, take care of your kid. Will there be a time between chores to sneak a read? Rarely. So my idle time becomes reading time. walking from the office to the train station, I listen to an audiobook. riding the train for 20 minutes, I read my paperback. waiting for the van to arrive and passengers to fill in, I read my kindle. In a day, I can read 2 1/2 hours through this. Not bad, eh? But sometimes that’s not enough. So while my son is watching Nickelodeon, I read my paperback again. After two hours of cuddling (and waiting) him to sleep, I pick my book again. I can read 2 hours max because I have to wake up at 4.30am in the morning to prepare for work. Still not enough? Occasionally, yes. If at times it seems I am not reading enough, I tell hubby I’ll be going home late. Where will i go? I search for a coffee shop with few patrons, order a chocolate drink (I don’t drink coffee, ironic isn’t it?), pick a couch and settle for an hour or two to read. it is really nice to have some “me” time set aside for reading! Escapism on reading has never been so literal for me until those moments. :)

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I like that literal escapism idea. I think I’ve done that several times while waiting, but never really on purpose. Maybe one day, I will try that, especially now that I’m so slow in reading. :D Thanks for your time, Maria! :)

If you want to be featured for What I Read, you can drop me a line through the contact form or by sending an email to hello[at]tinamats.com. :) You can read other What I Read features here. Since I missed posting this for the past two months, I’m going to try to get two more people on the blog (even if I had to drag them kicking and screaming) just to catch up. ;)

I am amazed to find out how little time you have for reading (and how fast you finish your books). I mean, I have all the time for myself and still, I am such a slowpoke. I haven’t mastered yet the art of reading while traveling. There must be a science to it (like conditioning your eyes to stop glancing at cute guys or willing your ears to block off everything).

I do the exact same thing that Maria does: every once in a while (more often when the boss is on leave), I have what I also call my “Me Time” – I walk over to the next-door mall, grab a mocha, and read for an hour or two. I guess I’m lucky that, when “Me Time” is done, I can just walk home and be with my daughter within 5 minutes. :)

And here I am whining that ever since I got married, I don’t had the time to read! Cheers to working moms who still find time to read! :) Maybe, I should really make double efforts to catch up on my reading goal and make Maria’s mantra my own mantra too. :)